"Was there anything in your letter which might have unbalanced him or induced him to take such a step?""No, sir, certainly not."
"Did you post that letter yourself?"
The nobleman's reply was interrupted by his secretary, who broke in with some heat.
"His Grace is not in the habit of posting letters himself,"said he."This letter was laid with others upon the study table, and I myself put them in the post-bag.""You are sure this one was among them?"
"Yes; I observed it."
"How many letters did your Grace write that day?""Twenty or thirty.I have a large correspondence.
But surely this is somewhat irrelevant?"
"Not entirely," said Holmes.
"For my own part," the Duke continued, "I have advised the police to turn their attention to the South of France.
I have already said that I do not believe that the Duchess would encourage so monstrous an action, but the lad had the most wrong-headed opinions, and it is possible that he may have fled to her, aided and abetted by this German.I think, Dr.Huxtable, that we will now return to the Hall."I could see that there were other questions which Holmes would have wished to put; but the nobleman's abrupt manner showed that the interview was at an end.It was evident that to his intensely aristocratic nature this discussion of his intimate family affairs with a stranger was most abhorrent, and that he feared lest every fresh question would throw a fiercer light into the discreetly shadowed corners of his ducal history.
When the nobleman and his secretary had left, my friend flung himself at once with characteristic eagerness into the investigation.
The boy's chamber was carefully examined, and yielded nothing save the absolute conviction that it was only through the window that he could have escaped.The German master's room and effects gave no further clue.In his case a trailer of ivy had given way under his weight, and we saw by the light of a lantern the mark on the lawn where his heels had come down.That one dint in the short green grass was the only material witness left of this inexplicable nocturnal flight.
Sherlock Holmes left the house alone, and only returned after eleven.He had obtained a large ordnance map of the neighbourhood, and this he brought into my room, where he laid it out on the bed, and, having balanced the lamp in the middle of it, he began to smoke over it, and occasionally to point out objects of interest with the reeking amber of his pipe.
"This case grows upon me, Watson," said he."There are decidedly some points of interest in connection with it.In this early stage I want you to realize those geographical features which may have a good deal to do with our investigation.
GRAPHIC
"Look at this map.This dark square is the Priory School.
I'll put a pin in it.Now, this line is the main road.
You see that it runs east and west past the school, and you see also that there is no side road for a mile either way.
If these two folk passed away by road it was THIS road.""Exactly."
"By a singular and happy chance we are able to some extent to check what passed along this road during the night in question.
At this point, where my pipe is now resting, a country constable was on duty from twelve to six.It is, as you perceive, the first cross road on the east side.This man declares that he was not absent from his post for an instant, and he is positive that neither boy nor man could have gone that way unseen.
I have spoken with this policeman to-night, and he appears to me to be a perfectly reliable person.That blocks this end.
We have now to deal with the other.There is an inn here, the Red Bull, the landlady of which was ill.She had sent to Mackleton for a doctor, but he did not arrive until morning, being absent at another case.The people at the inn were alert all night, awaiting his coming, and one or other of them seems to have continually had an eye upon the road.They declare that no one passed.If their evidence is good, then we are fortunate enough to be able to block the west, and also to be able to say that the fugitives did NOT use the road at all.""But the bicycle?" I objected.
"Quite so.We will come to the bicycle presently.To continue our reasoning: if these people did not go by the road, they must have traversed the country to the north of the house or to the south of the house.That is certain.Let us weigh the one against the other.On the south of the house is, as you perceive, a large district of arable land, cut up into small fields, with stone walls between them.There, I admit that a bicycle is impossible.We can dismiss the idea.We turn to the country on the north.Here there lies a grove of trees, marked as the `Ragged Shaw,' and on the farther side stretches a great rolling moor, Lower Gill Moor, extending for ten miles and sloping gradually upwards.Here, at one side of this wilderness, is Holdernesse Hall, ten miles by road, but only six across the moor.It is a peculiarly desolate plain.A few moor farmers have small holdings, where they rear sheep and cattle.
Except these, the plover and the curlew are the only inhabitants until you come to the Chesterfield high road.There is a church there, you see, a few cottages, and an inn.Beyond that the hills become precipitous.Surely it is here to the north that our quest must lie.""But the bicycle?" I persisted.
"Well, well!" said Holmes, impatiently."A good cyclist does not need a high road.The moor is intersected with paths and the moon was at the full.Halloa! what is this?"There was an agitated knock at the door, and an instant afterwards Dr.Huxtable was in the room.In his hand he held a blue cricket-cap, with a white chevron on the peak.
"At last we have a clue!" he cried."Thank Heaven! at last we are on the dear boy's track! It is his cap.""Where was it found?"
"In the van of the gipsies who camped on the moor.
They left on Tuesday.To-day the police traced them down and examined their caravan.This was found.""How do they account for it?"
"They shuffled and lied -- said that they found it on the moor on Tuesday morning.They know where he is, the rascals!
